Former Acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin Seeks to Move D.C. Bar Misconduct Case to Federal Court
Former acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin, a Trump ally later made a pardon attorney, has filed a notice in D.C. federal court to remove his ongoing D.C. Bar disciplinary case, arguing he is entitled to a federal forum to adjudicate his constitutional defenses. The bar is pursuing charges that Martin abused his office in 2025 by pressuring Georgetown Law over its diversity, equity and inclusion practices—threatening to blacklist its students from his office—and that he later interfered with the disciplinary process by contacting top D.C. judges directly to attack bar counsel and seek his suspension. Disciplinary counsel Hamilton Fox alleges Martin, acting as a government official, "knew or should have known" his conduct violated the First and Fifth Amendments, and that his ex parte outreach to judges seriously interfered with the administration of justice. Martin’s defense claims the bar lacks jurisdiction because he was acting under Trump’s presidential authority to enforce the Constitution and frames the bar action as retaliation for his own supposed investigation of Fox. The move to federal court, coming ahead of an April 20 prehearing conference, echoes a prior failed attempt by former Trump DOJ official Jeffrey Clark to get bar charges into federal court and is drawing attention among legal-ethics watchers who see it as part of a broader effort by Trump-aligned lawyers to test the limits of professional accountability.
📌 Key Facts
- On April 8, 2026, Ed Martin filed a notice in D.C. federal court seeking to remove his D.C. Bar disciplinary case from the local system.
- The D.C. Bar charges stem from Martin’s 2025 letters to Georgetown Law and university leaders threatening not to hire their students over alleged DEI practices and tying his demands to their nonprofit status and federal funding.
- Bar counsel alleges Martin later contacted the chief and senior judges of the D.C. Court of Appeals to complain about disciplinary counsel Hamilton Fox, demand Fox’s suspension, and seek dismissal of the case instead of responding through normal procedures.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2024, White individuals comprise 56.3% of the U.S. population but 85% of lawyers, while Black individuals comprise 11.7% of the population but 7% of lawyers, and Hispanic individuals comprise 20% of the population but 6.3% of lawyers.
US Population Demographics and the Pathway to the Legal Profession — Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
For the 2024-2025 law school year, 79% of White applicants received at least one admission offer, compared to 45% of Black applicants.
Racial disparities in admissions, scholarships remain in law schools, AccessLex Institute study says — ABA Journal
In the 2024-2025 law school year, White students received 70% of full-tuition scholarships, while Black students received 6% and Hispanic students received 9%.
Racial disparities in admissions, scholarships remain in law schools, AccessLex Institute study says — ABA Journal
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